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Poulsbo resident earns first Miss West Sound crown

Poulsbo resident Tonie Duchemin, 23, was crowned the first Miss West Sound when the pageant premiered in Port Orchard Saturday.

— image credit: Justine Frederiksen/Staff Photo

Poulsbo resident Tonie Duchemin was named the first Miss West Sound Saturday night when the pageant premiered at Christian Life Center in Port Orchard.

Duchemin, a 23-year-old student at Seattle Central Community College, won a $1,000 scholarship along with the title, which she earned by donning a swimsuit and an evening gown, answering interview questions with aplomb and completing a jazz dance routine.

Duchemin also earned the People’s Choice Award, which is voted on by the audience. She will go on to compete for the title of Miss Washington in July.

Fellow Poulsbo resident Whitney Glebe, 20, was named first runner-up and earned a $750 scholarship. Kingston resident Taylor Wall, 19, was named second-runner-up and received $500.

South Kitsap High School senior Meghan Houston, 17, the lone participant hailing from South Kitsap, earned two awards — Miss Congeniality and The Beauty Within — for a total of $340.

The pageant was created this year to offer Kitsap County residents a way to reach the Miss Washington, and ultimately the Miss America, competition since the Miss Kitsap/Miss Poulsbo scholarship pageants are no longer preliminary competitions for those titles.

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